Hawk's Jesse
by RoseWren
Summary: Ah, yes, back to that long day theory. What she wouldn’t give to have merely called in sick like Mustang told her to. Hell, it wouldn’t be so hard to just feign a headache and go home now no one would think less of her and…
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Circles**

**AN: Any further updates depend on the response. Read at your own risk- don't get attached to it. It may or may not be continued. **

Hawkeye didn't need any extra sense or alchemy to tell her that this was going to be one _hell_ of a day.

Rubbing her temples, she wearily surveyed the remains of what used to be an industrialized part of town out from under a blonde fringe. Of course, used to be being the key words; what had been a budding center of commerce in the industrial part of town, more than two blocks, was now up in smoke.

Ah, yes, back to that long day theory. What she wouldn't give to have merely called in sick like Mustang told her to. Hell, it wouldn't be so hard to just feign a headache and go home now- no one would think less of her and…

She would think less of herself, she thought. No, really, it wasn't so hard to track down a nigh invisible rouge alchemist who left nothing but smoke and ashes behind him. Nope, not hard at all.

"You're looking tense, Hawkeye." The newest member of the small band under Colonel Mustang, a young man named Susa, tossed her a winning smile from under his heavy red fringe of hair. "You want to turn in? Maybe take a late morning? It's your birthday- you shouldn't be working. I can handle this-"

"I'm fine." She grumbled, stroking her cheek with a finger as she looked out at the devastation. "Are there any survivors? Witnesses? Make a sweep of the surrounding offices for any suspicious individuals or anyone-"

"Hey," Susa held up his hands, smiling, "I know the drill. Chill and I'll be back in a sec…"

He reappeared moments later and holding a steaming cup in his hands. "You looked like you needed it."

Smiling, Hawkeye reflected wryly that, although new, he had quickly learned that a Hawkeye with out her coffee in the morning was a rather unfriendly Hawkeye. And an unfriendly Hawkeye was a bitch to work with.

"Thanks." She lifted the cup to her mouth and took another survey. Turning to Susa, she arched a brow, "The sweep?"

Grinning boyishly, Susa gave a brief salute and trotted off into the center of the wreckage, a band of four foots trotting behind him.

Guess I'll take the businesses, she thought and shrugging.

Still stroking her cheek, Hawkeye ignored the cinders and ash staining her uniform and turned to the surrounding buildings.

She was trying to piece together the alchemy needed for devastation of this magnitude. Underneath the rubble, none of the cement seemed to be missing…

Back up, she thought, pacing within the calm of her office. Cause and effect. What would have caught fire? What she had seen on her infrequent visits to this part of town had shown nothing more than a concrete canyon. Nothing to burn so what had burnt, and it had burnt _very _well, had to be transported in somehow. There were two choices; alchemy or physically moving it in.

There had been no problem, or at least a very minimal amount of crime, in that district as it was very affluent; no suspicious individuals as of late, no suspicious activities…

And again, there were no obvious signs of alchemy.

Hawkeye indulged for a moment in the thought of a warm bed with Black Hayate and a good book…

_Damn_, she gave the report a dirty look and reached over to her desk to toy with the edges.

Oh well, she thought as she shot the Colonel's door a slightly guilty look; won't hurt to turn in just a tad early on my _birthday. _She'd already put in a quite full day already, right?

Hawkeye sat down and quickly cleared off her desk, then laid her head down- and well, a small nap wouldn't hurt…

"Hawkeye?" She woke to an incredulous Susa, who had both hands palm-down on her desk and was shaking.

"Hawkeye? Are you alright? Sweet miracles!" He swept her into a hug, pulling her up and over her desk, and then pushing her away to give her a once over, still holding her groggy form up by her shoulders. "Thank fire and stone you're alright-"

"What happened?" She snapped, brushing his hands away.

"I think I can answer that." A tall form moved in the shadows of the door frame, materializing to show the features of a very white, drawn Colonel Mustang.

"Colonel?" She asked, alarmed.

"The barracks have been blown been victim of assault, assumably victim of the same perpetrator of who was behind the attack on downtown. There are innumerous casualties as most of the men were sleeping at the time."

It took her a moment to process the information.

"Shit."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Mustang agreed wearily, slumping into the chair next to her.

As she turned around to stride out of the room she heard him inhale sharply, she could have been mistaken but there was a whisper of, "Oh thank God she's alright..."

**AN: Don't expect an update any time soon- I'm warning you.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Firefly

The skeletons of the barracks held up the night sky, each small gust of wind through the town sending a flurry of cinders climbing into the air on warm drafts. Her sight was blurring-her _home_, this was her home god_dammit_! A hand rose of its own accord to blot a non-existent tear on the sleeve, dropping as uniformed men approached.

"Lieutenant?" Hawkeye drew herself up from her affected crouch, stiff and numbed with emotional exhaustion.

"I want seven crews out here on the double. Why hasn't-" Her voice snapped and she coughed, eyes watering as her squad watched with painful hero-worship, content to believe that the Hawkeye would save them all, "Why hasn't anyone erected a fire-proof pavilion over this place? Oxygen deprivation, people; starve the fire."

Stumbling over each other in their haste to obey, the soldiers were gone in an instant. At this, she allowed herself to think. The world seemed to be falling apart around her, little fireflies dancing in the endless spiral against the night sky. The lieutenant drew herself up painfully, vertebrae seeming to click into some predestined formation- they knew what they were doing even if she did not.

_Walk the perimeter_, a little voice seemed to say, _there're clues out there that'll help you get—_

_There's no revenge in the military_, she chided herself without much conviction, _only turns to be behind the gun._

The voice didn't seem to quite believe her, which was alright since she didn't quite believe herself.

It was another Monday, exactly one week since the fire that destroyed the barracks and there was another fire. It was a replicate, if not in the same place, the same fashion.

Yet this time there was Havoc, a looming shadow who occasionally threw in a comment or so but managed the ground crew with an economy she could appreciate. They were all stretched out, Roy back at HQ, furiously researching everything he could get his hands on or the case, and Breda was cloistered behind the paperwork necessary for him to do so.

The fires, while burning long into the night, had not yet had enough time to burn themselves out and Hawkeye didn't really feel like expending energy to do it herself. There was nothing left to save anyway, the fire having razed the buildings to the ground with their now glowing husks piercing the smoky lavender sky. Cinders drifted on the wind, mingling with ash and heavy smoke, only to be turned away by the resisting barriers on either side of the pavilion erected by the police force.

Rubbing her temples, Hawkeye turned to her small band.

"Anyone want to venture ideas?" Holding up her hand as Susa opened his mouth, she cautioned, "Take a look around you first, please. Notice something? This part of town was deliberately constructed so that there would be nothing to burn; the warehouse manufacturers like to protect what is theirs. Notice that whatever burnt, burnt _very_ well. Whatever burnt had to be transferred in, either by alchemy," A couple of the newbies blinked while the veterans grimaced, "Or physically moving it in. We all know which is more likely in this day and age.

"Now you may answer."

She was assaulted by a barrage of silence.

"What? No ideas?" she asked, glowering at Susa who had the ill grace to give a little smile at her jibe.

"Were there any circles?" asked Terrijong, a dark-skinned man from the south.

"No." He raised his eyebrows. "Well," she amended, "None that we can see at any rate. I'll have the clean-up crews keep an eye out for anything unusual under the rubble."

"Do youhave any ideas, Hawkeye?" Asked Susa and she raised one blonde eyebrow, waiting until he dropped his questioning gaze. She opened her mouth to reply, interrupted by a commotion to her left.

"Hawkeye! Hawkeye!" One of the cleaning crew was rushing towards her, "We found something! Look!"

It was a small pale creature, one she would have taken for dead if not for the slight rise and fall of its chest. It was humanoid, but only when swathed in the white sheet the crew had wrapped it in.

"Where did you find it?" She asked, pulling back the sheet slightly to reveal a spectacularly burned torso but untouched face. Youthful was the best descriptor for the child's features, pristine the second. Somehow though, the face was bereft of gender-defining features.

The man who was holding the thing was watching her suspiciously, well-acquainted with her uniform in a long and bitter relation with the government.

"She's in capable hands, Mister…" She said not warmly, but honestly.

"Ilus, Mistress, Ilus." He shrank away from her, shy suddenly, seeming some lumbering bear who held a butterfly. He slumped, pointing to one of the farthest wrecks and spoke in a heavily accented voice, "T'ere I found her, vana, her t'ere."

'Vana' was a respectful title given to a lady by one of the desert folk- she didn't mind but her soldiers gave the man a hard stare. The man bowed, still clutching his precious bundle in his arms, wary, awkward, and shy. Without a word, he bowed low and struggled to touch his hand to his chest and flick his fingers outward.

Hawkeye was surprised; it was an uncharacteristically respectful gesture.

Still puzzled, she led her troop around to the ruins, "Fan out! If you need assistance, contact either Second Lieutenant Havoc or myself."

Susa gave her an abbreviated salute and sauntered off. Falman's voice drifted over the sounds of crackling embers and she turned to greet him.

"Hey Lieutenant," Feury and Falman were delivering the ensuing paperwork for the military following the barracks' collapse; she honestly didn't envy the pair a whit as the duty included delivering the notices of a soldier's death. He certainly looked to part of a grave military official, but somehow…Riza gripped his hand a little tighter, warmly.

"Sergeant Major and Warrant Officer," She said and Falman gave her a brisk nod, and squeezed her hand once before letting it go. Hawkeye turned to Feury and tipped her head.

"How's the clean-up going?" He asked, surveying the operation. "It looks like a real mess."

Riza shrugged briefly but he understood. "You'll find something." He didn't wait for a response before continuing, "But that's not why I came. The furor has given the Colonel the task of finding the arsonist and bringing him in. He said to tell you it's become…"

Falman paused and looked her in the eye, "Something like imperative. That is all."

It didn't come as any surprise to Hawkeye and she nodded, "Convey to him my assurances that I'll take care of it."

The warrant officer didn't expect anything less and he pulled his hand up in a salute before turning on his heel and walking away.

_**Review Response**_:

_**Yavi**_—Heh, heh, heh…Of course you're right and I went back and changed some stuff. Just a couple words but hopefully that will be more…descriptive-full.

ducks and cowers I was going to anyways! plaintively

I do? This is news to me-lol.

_**Saponin**_: Thankies!

_**Dailenna**_—Ouchies! Lol. Thank you and I hope this one lives up to your expectations .

_**Mon petit ami--**_. Thanks, love.

_**Causmic fire—**_Awesome penname! Hope you enjoy this one!

_**Becca-**_totally mortified Eek! I did! I didn't notice that until you guys pointed it out-- thank you! And I'm really flattered, I mean…oh I…thank you. . It means a lot to hear someone say that.

_**Automailjunkie44—**_Love the penname. Lol! Thanks and I hope you like this chapter! .


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